Here in Eretz Yisrael, we've been having some impressive lightning & thunder throughout Sukkot so far (though not as fierce as the thunder & lightning storms of a year or 2 ago).
(NOTE OF CLARIFICATION: The Sukkah storms of last year or the year before consisted of unrelenting booming thunder, which made it frightening to sleep in the Sukkah. This year, lightning played a stronger role, with the thunder not as strong or as frequent. The lightning also appeared as defined bolts, rather than large sheets of flashes in the sky, which is unusual in our area, meaning, the defined bolts are unusual.)
I've been in Eretz Yisrael for over 25 years, and these phenomena are a new thing.
There has also been some mighty wind, but interestingly only a bit of rain (some of which seemed mixed with tepid hail).
What is the message here?
I'm not sure, but Perek Shirah features the Song of Lightning:
(NOTE OF CLARIFICATION: The Sukkah storms of last year or the year before consisted of unrelenting booming thunder, which made it frightening to sleep in the Sukkah. This year, lightning played a stronger role, with the thunder not as strong or as frequent. The lightning also appeared as defined bolts, rather than large sheets of flashes in the sky, which is unusual in our area, meaning, the defined bolts are unusual.)
I've been in Eretz Yisrael for over 25 years, and these phenomena are a new thing.
There has also been some mighty wind, but interestingly only a bit of rain (some of which seemed mixed with tepid hail).
What is the message here?
I'm not sure, but Perek Shirah features the Song of Lightning:
בְּרָקִים אוֹמְרִים. בְּרָקִים לַמָּטָר עָשָׂה מוֹצֵא רוּחַ מֵאוֹצְרוֹתָיו
Brakim omrim: Brakim lamatar asah motzeh ruach me'otzrotav.
The Lightning Bolts are saying, “…He makes lightning for the rain; He brings forth the wind from his storehouses.”
- Tehillim/Psalms 135:7
A glance at the main commentaries on this verse (Rashi, the Metzudot, Ibn Ezra, Radak, and Malbim) reveal some insights.
First of all, this verse appears in a Psalm lauding Hashem for all that He did to bring the Jews to Eretz Yisrael, starting off with pounding the Egyptians and taking us out of Egypt, continuing with pounding the Kanaanim and gifting the Jews with Eretz Yisrael, denigrating idols & their adherents, then ending with blessing those who serve in the Beit Hamikdash, and Hashem's Dwelling Place (so to speak) in Yerushalayim.
It begins with the word "Hallelukah" and ends with "Hallelukah."
The commentaries note that wind isn't seen on its own until Hashem makes it move, then we see it by it's effect on stuff and we hear it.
Also, Hashem brings out the wind to blow the clouds to exactly where He wants it to rain.
But what about the lightning?
The commentaries note that lightning flashes brilliantly even amid rain.
First of all, this verse appears in a Psalm lauding Hashem for all that He did to bring the Jews to Eretz Yisrael, starting off with pounding the Egyptians and taking us out of Egypt, continuing with pounding the Kanaanim and gifting the Jews with Eretz Yisrael, denigrating idols & their adherents, then ending with blessing those who serve in the Beit Hamikdash, and Hashem's Dwelling Place (so to speak) in Yerushalayim.
It begins with the word "Hallelukah" and ends with "Hallelukah."
The commentaries note that wind isn't seen on its own until Hashem makes it move, then we see it by it's effect on stuff and we hear it.
Also, Hashem brings out the wind to blow the clouds to exactly where He wants it to rain.
But what about the lightning?
The commentaries note that lightning flashes brilliantly even amid rain.
"...and the rain does not extinguish it."
- Metzudat David
The commentaries note that the power of the wind is there all the time, but not seen until Hashem withdraws it from its "storehouse."
Malbim states:
Malbim states:
"...at the time Hashem will desire for rain to fall, the element of fire and elektri will separate and lightning will be produced."
Basically, the commentaries note the quality of lightning existing among an element that theoretically should extinguish it.
In other words, the brilliant illumination of lightning occurs among that which should disallow its very existence.
As mentioned above, the this week's lightning has been mostly without rain, but its fundamental aspect of rising above its fiery nature and not being extinguished by water (including copious amounts of pouring rain) is still true.
So to summarize, the Song of Lightning hints at:
So there's some food for thought about the message of lightning.
(For the message in wind, please see Song of the Wind.)
In other words, the brilliant illumination of lightning occurs among that which should disallow its very existence.
As mentioned above, the this week's lightning has been mostly without rain, but its fundamental aspect of rising above its fiery nature and not being extinguished by water (including copious amounts of pouring rain) is still true.
So to summarize, the Song of Lightning hints at:
- Hashem's All-Encompassing Mastery of even the routine aspects of nature
- Hashem's Fondness for the Jewish people (as evidenced by gifting us Eretz Yisrael as our Divine Inheritance)
- A solid & uncompromising adherence to monotheism
- The paradoxical and very powerful nature of lightning to overcome its natural "enemy": water. (Not only is lightning not extinguished by even huge amounts of pouring rain, but it's not even diminished by rain, as evidenced by the astounding brightness & power of lightning.)
So there's some food for thought about the message of lightning.
(For the message in wind, please see Song of the Wind.)
Just a random photo of lightning in an unknown location, chosen simply for its prettiness.
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